Though splash guards have been effectively used for many years to prevent or restrict spray from being thrown rearwardly by the wheels of a vehicle into the path of other vehicles following in the same direction, laterally projected spray has continued to be a problem. Such spray not only obstructs the vision of drivers of following vehicles but also of those overtaking or proceeding alongside the offending vehicle. In the case of roads or thoroughfares not provided with a median strip or solid barrier to separate vehicles moving in opposite directions, laterally thrown spray in large volume may also be a hazard to vehicles passing in the opposite direction.
Numerous expedients have been devised to meet this problem, among them, for example, the splash guard disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,243, issued Apr. 29, 1986 to J. R. Lockwood and L. A. Loeffler. Here, an arrangement of conical projections and vertically oriented ribs extend toward the vehicle wheel from a splash surface to form channels intended to direct spray in a downward direction. The ribs have nonplanar side wall surfaces whereby, in cooperation with the conical projections, they form channels which increase in width in the direction toward the vehicle wheel so that their widest portions are those closest to the wheel. Thus, much of the spray rebounding from the splash surface is free to issue laterally from the channels and in other directions as well.
Another approach to the problem is exemplified by the splash guard disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,192, issued Aug. 12, 1975 to W. W. Reddaway, which comprises a dense multitude of narrow, flexible blade elements extending generally toward the vehicle wheel in a construction like that of artificial turf, the blade elements forming a tangled mass which completely covers the splash surface, whereby the splash guard is said to capture spray and allow it to drain downwardly toward the surface of the road. However, in the presence of freezing conditions, moisture and solid particles entrapped in the mass of blades tend to accrete and form an impenetrable barrier which destroys or drastically reduces effectiveness and is extremely difficult to remove.